56 shot, 8 fatally over Labor Day weekend in Chicago

CHICAGO - Eight people, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed and 48 others, including several minors, were injured in shootings across Chicago over Labor Day weekend.

Chicago police canceled days off for officers ahead of the holiday weekend and extended shifts to 12 hours to put about 8,000 officers on the street in an effort to stem a tide of violence that typically accompanies long holiday weekends.

Last weekend saw 55 people shot across Chicago, 10 of them fatally. Over Labor Day weekend in 2019, 43 people were shot citywide, eight of them fatally.

Two people were killed in separate mass shootings Monday night.

An 8-year-old girl was shot to death, and two other people were wounded Monday in Canaryville on the South Side.

The shooting happened about 5:55 p.m. at West 47th Street and South Union Avenue, Chicago Police Chief of Operations Brian McDermott said at a news conference. It also triggered a crash that injured the child’s mother.

The child was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 6:28 p.m., McDermott said. A 30-year-old woman and 31-year-old man were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

A little over an hour later, a man was shot dead in a shootout in Stony Island Park.

About 6:37 p.m., a 21-year-old and 30-year-old man were shot inside a vehicle in the 8400 block of South Cregier Avenue, Chicago police said. One of them returned gunfire, striking two 18-year-old shooters.

The 21-year-old man was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Hospital, police said. The 18-year-olds are being questioned by police.

Another man was killed Monday in Humboldt Park on the West Side.

The 22-year-old was in a vehicle about 6:36 p.m. in the 1200 block of North Lawndale Avenue when someone approached and fired shots, Chicago police said. The man was struck multiple times and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Sunday, a man was shot dead in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

Two males approached him about 9:10 p.m. and tried to fight him in the 2600 block of West 39th Place, Chicago police said. As he tried to run away, a third male walked up and shot him in the back. Steven Garcia, 38, of Brighton Park, was pronounced dead at St. Anthony Hospital, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Earlier, a shooting killed someone in University Village on the Near West Side.

Officers responding to reports of gunfire at 3:26 a.m. found a male on the ground with two gunshot wounds to the side of his head in the 1300 block of West Hastings Street, according to police. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Witnesses told investigators a male suspect had approached and opened fire into a crowd.

About an hour before that, a 26-year-old man was shot to death in West Town.

He was at a gathering about 2:25 a.m. in the 2100 block of West Maypole Avenue when he was shot in the shoulder and foot, police said. The man was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital.

More than an hour earlier, a 36-year-old woman was killed in Englewood on the South Side.

She was inside a home about 1:08 a.m. in the 6100 block of South Carpenter Street when someone entered and shot her multiple times, police said. She was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The weekend’s first homicide happened Friday night in Jeffery Manor on the South Side.

Christopher Hines, 36, was at a party about 11 p.m. in the 9900 block of South Van Vlissingen Road when he got into an argument with a male family member, officials said. The relative pulled out a gun and shot Hines in the abdomen. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Reginald Macon, 39, was taken into custody for the shooting and charged with first-degree murder, police said.

Five minors were among the victims wounded over the weekend.

An 18-year-old woman and 4-year-old boy were injured in a drive-by Friday night in Gresham on the South Side.

They were standing outside about 11:30 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Honore Street when someone fired shots from a passing black Dodge Challenger, police said. The boy was hit in the leg and taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in good condition. The woman was shot in the lower backside and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition. Investigators do not think they were the intended targets.

On Sunday afternoon, a 17-year-old boy was among four people hurt in a single shooting in South Shore.

They were gathering on the sidewalk about 6:25 p.m. in the 7700 block of South Kingston Avenue when someone inside a white SUV fired shots, police said. All four were hospitalized in good condition.

A 17-year-old boy hit in the shoulder and a 25-year-old woman shot in the leg were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said. Another male, whose age isn’t known, was taken to the same hospital with gunshot wounds to the leg and knee. A 44-year-old man was taken to South Shore Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot.

Saturday afternoon, a 16-year-old boy was shot in Oakland on the South Side.

Someone in a black SUV fired shots at him about 4:30 p.m. near 40th Street and Lake Park Avenue, police said. The boy was struck in the hand and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition.

Earlier that morning, a 16-year-old girl was wounded on the Near West Side.

She was a passenger in a car about 2:45 a.m. in the 200 block of South Ashland Avenue when she heard gunshots and felt pain, according to police. She and the other people in the car told police they didn’t see the shooter or know where the shots came from. The girl was hit in the face and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition, police said.

More than an hour before that, a 15-year-old boy was seriously wounded in Ukrainian Village.

He was standing outside the gas station at 1:32 a.m. in the 1900 block of West Augusta Boulevard when he got into an argument with a male in the back seat of a white Dodge Magnum, according to police. During the argument, someone shot the boy in the arm and side. Acquaintances dropped him off at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, where he was in serious condition.

At least 27 other people have been injured by gunfire in the city since 5 p.m. Friday.